Comparison of Odyssey, Divine Comedy, and Paradise Lost

1092 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Short essay on "impacts of war on literature

A Comparison of Odyssey, Divine Comedy, and Paradise Lost

Epics by definition are long narrative poems, that are grand in both theme

and style (Webster 417). They usually involve actions of great glory and are

typically centered around historical or legendary events of universal

significance. Most epics deal with the deeds of a single individual, however,

it is not uncommon to have more than one main character. Epics embody several

main features including: supernatural forces, sometimes the deity of the time,

that shape the action; battles or other forms of physical combat; and a formal

statement of the theme of the epic. Everyday details of life are commonplace

and intricately woven into the background of each story in the same palatial

style as the rest of the poem.

Epic poems are not merely entertaining stories of legendary or historical

heroes; they summarize and express the nature or ideals of an entire nation at a

significant or crucial point in its history. I have chosen for comparison the

Odyssey, The Divine Comedy, and Paradise Lost.

The Odyssey, attributed to Homer is about Odysseus, the king of Ithaca,

who sailed with his army to take part in war against Troy. After ten years of

war, victory is declared and the armies of Odysseus have sailed for home. As

the Odyssey begins, an additional 10 years have passed since the fall of Troy

and Odysseus still has not returned to his home. The noblemen have converged on

his palace seeking the hand of his lovely wife, Penelope. However, Penelope

refuses their advances choosing to remain faithful to Odysseus.

During the ten years ...

... middle of paper ...

... of people in our history. These epic works take

us on an imaginary voyage; one through the amazing journeys of a single man, one

through an imaginary trip through hell in which the political and philosophical

thought of the time can be experienced, and one through an account of a

religious thought for that day. All of these epics serve to remind us that no

matter how far mankind has come, we still have a long way to go in our journey

be it spiritual or earthly.

Works Cited

"Epic." Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. 1983 ed.

Homer. "The Odyssey." Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard

Mack. 6th ed. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 1992.

Milton, John. "Paradise Lost." Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed.

Maynard Mack. 6th ed. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 1992.

Show More
Related

  • Homer’s Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou?

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    In both Homer’s The Odyssey and the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? the audience is given an opportunity to experience a spectacular adventure, filled with not only the sense of journey, but also the senses of peril and excitement. A tale about a Greek hero being compared to a film set in Middle America starring three jail-escapees seems rather far-fetched. However, upon closer inspection, both actually share a lot in common. The Odyssey stars Odysseus, a man famous for his heroics in the Trojan War. O Brother, Where Art Thou? shows a bit of a contrast by starring Ulysses, a former convict who escaped and began looking for “A Treasure”. So by default, one would assume that that these two stories would be completely different. However, it ends up being quite the opposite. The two stories are so remarkably alike that it is almost staggering. However, it may not just be simple similarities that make the two so alike. The main reasons why the two characters are so alike are not so much the actions that they take, as oppose to the overall human emotional aspect of the two pieces of work. For example, we see that both Odysseus and Ulysses are invested in their lives with their families, and as such, they never have a moment where they stop thinking about the lives they used to live. Both characters are extremely alike in terms of thoughts, skills, and experiences. They are both profound tacticians, as well as being rather strong and good looking men. So in the end, both of these men have plenty in common on the emotional and psychological levels.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Homer's Odyssey and Oedipus the King

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    won) fighting a war against the city of Troy and has been held captive by

    Read More

  • Aeneid vs. Odyssey

    2152 Words  | 5 Pages

    are followed and proper respect given the gods, it is possible for man to live

    Read More

  • The National Debt

    1565 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The National Debt (sidebar).” Issues and Controversies. Facts on File News Services, 23 Jan. 2009. Web. 25 May 2011. .

    Read More

  • Comparing the Aeneid and the Odyssey

    2715 Words  | 6 Pages

    Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid represent their cultures very well, but they express different ideas on what one should strive for in life.  There are also different forces that pushed both epics to be written.  The Aeneid expresses the Roman idea of pietas which means to show extreme respect for one’s ancestors. We see this in Aeneas when he is pictured caring his father away from burning Troy.  He has pietas because he cared so much for his father that in fleeing from Troy he took up his father over his shoulder to save his from certain death.  This is not the only major idea in the Aeneid.  There is also a very political focus.  The Roman were very interested in politics which comes through in the Aeneid. The Odyssey has the Greek idea of arete trapped somewhere among the many themes.  Arete is a strive for perfection in both mind and body.  It is a much more personal and individual idea than the Roman pietas. In the most basic seance the Aeneid and the Romans have a much more political focus and duty to the state ( republic ) than the Greeks who honor tradition , family , and arete.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    Socrates, a Greek philosopher stated, "Look death in the face with joyful hope, and consider this a lasting truth: the righteous man has nothing to fear, neither in life, nor in death, and the Gods will not forsake him” (Socrates). This explains the basis for Greek beliefs that can be carried over to values and qualities of them. As in this, Homer, the author of The Odyssey, portrays many Greek values that make up a righteous man or as, Homer’s character Odysseus, an epic hero. The Odyssey is the story of King Odysseus' return from the Trojan War to his kingdom of Ithaca. Stories, like The Odyssey, are told with the intent of delivering a message that was important to their culture. Through characters and situations, The Odyssey promotes and emphasizes many important ancient Greek values such as hospitality, pride, and fate.

    Read More

  • Compare Aeneas And The Odyssey

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    There has been much debate on who is the greatest hero of the ancient world. There has also been much dispute on which is the greatest epic poem of the ancient world. However, comparing The Aeneid to The Odyssey is entirely a difficult task itself. Odysseus' journeys, both physical and emotional, are essential in the overall work because it defines The Odyssey as an epic poem. Aeneas also shares a similar experience as Odysseus as well. Both stories are similar in countless ways because they both undergo comparable experiences on their travels and their life journeys. With that being said, they both demonstrated leadership in their own way. However, it is difficult to determine who the best leader actually is. Both men exhibit great leadership skills; therefore, causing a challenge for some in determining which the greater epic is. After analyzing both texts, it is possible to conclude that Aeneas is the better leader, but The Odyssey is the greater epic.

    Read More

  • The United States National Debt

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    Public debt, which comes from securities and bonds issued by the United States Treasury, is responsible for over 60 percent of the debt (“Debt Position and Activity Report” 1). These debts are being held by the public inside and outside the US. Over 25 percent of the debts are held by foreign governments, in which China and Japan accounts for almost half of the sum (“Treasury Bulletin: September 2009” 60).

    Read More

  • Homer’s The Odyssey

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    In book eight of Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is on the island of the Phaeacians and is waiting to return home to Ithaca. Meanwhile, Alcinous, the Phaeacian king, has arranged for a feast and celebration of games in honor of Odysseus, who has not yet revealed his true identity. During the feast, a blind bard named Demodocus sings about the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles at Troy. The song causes Odysseus to start weeping, so Alcinous ends the feast and orders the games to begin. During dinner after the games, Odysseus asks Demodocus to sing about the Trojan horse and the sack of Troy. This song too causes Odysseus to break down and cry. Homer uses a dramatic simile to describe the pain and sorrow that Odysseus feels as he recalls the story of Troy.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Epic of Gilgamesh with The Odyssey

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey both are held in high respect by literature analysts and historians alike for the characterization of the hero and his companion, the imagery brought to mind when one of them is read, and the impressive length in relation to the time period it was written in. The similarities that these two epics share do not end with only those three; in fact, the comparability of these works extend to even the information on the author and the archetypes used. However, The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh contrast from one another in their writing styles, character details, and main ideas. Both epics weave together a story of a lost man who must find his way, but the path of their stories contrast from one another.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Iliad And The Odyssey

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book the Iliad, The Odyssey, and Works and days, there are many things that can be similar when talking about Greek heroes and the world of Greek poetry. The stories and topics are describing similar events during this time of the eighth and seventh century B.C. In the end, however, they do have some differences in some parts when describing or explaining certain situations and ideas. The world of Greek heroes is written like a story; or Epic Poetry. That is what The Iliad and The Odyssey are; Epic Poetries. They are telling a story of a great hero and their adventures. On the other hand, the more realistic Greek World that is being described in Works and days is a Didactic poem, which tells more of a moral or message to the reader.

    Read More

  • Hector as the True Hero of Homer’s Iliad

    2380 Words  | 5 Pages

    Van Nortwick, Thomas. Somewhere I have travelled: the hero's journey. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

    Read More

  • The Iliad and the Odyssey

    1521 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Iliad and the Odyssey are two classic stories told by Homer. Within these two stories the roles of the gods are very important to the story line and how they affect the characters throughout. In the Iliad, more gods are involved with the characters whereas in the Odyssey there are only two major gods that affect two major characters. The roles of the gods in the Iliad are through two different stances of immortal versus immortal and mortal versus immortal. The roles of the gods in the Odyssey are through two major gods and they affect the plot as Poseidon versus Odysseus and Athena versus Telemachus.

    Read More

  • Paradise Lost and The Canterbury Tales

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, was written in the 14th Century during the Hundred Years War. Each of the characters was made to represent one of the 7 sins. In Paradise Lost, written by John Milton, every character has a direct connection to an earthly comfort. Both stories are written with the intent to teach its readers; however, Paradise Lost was written in in the 17th century, which means the writing style and the social standard on what the difference is between right and wrong, and how salvation is received is very different.

    Read More

  • Essay About Travelling Alone

    2605 Words  | 6 Pages

    ... executed in order to set off into the world alone. The influence that independent travel has on an individual is a splendor upon riches because it does so much for a person, and provides humans with a sense of the world. How a person can makes new friends and learn about new cultures and accept other people’s way of living. With its educational purposes traveling alone can bring, offers an endless amount of living data that tops any history book or internet page. Traveling is concrete history that is continuing around everyone. It can provide people to look through different lenses and experience aspects of life that they know they will never experience again in their lifetimes. Traveling alone provides an endless journey and an empty page in the minds scrapbook that is waiting to be filled with new memories and the endless amount of true belonging and bliss.

    Read More

More about Comparison of Odyssey, Divine Comedy, and Paradise Lost

Open Document